For me, such good therapy. But also a big challenge to garden without my skilled, patient and very hard working co-gardener Barry.

I can see there will be some simplifying to be done...

I am falling back on a routine that my daughter and I devised when we gardened together professionally.

Each day we would tackle -

1 An ongoing job (progress)2 A start-and-finish job (satisfaction)3 A job we wanted to do (pleasure)4 A rescue job ( a clear conscience!)

The current big ongoing job is to clear moss from the beds. A wet summer followed by a wet winter has meant that the moss has taken over in places. People suggest making a moss garden but conditions in some summers can be very dry and kill it off or turn it a nauseous yellow..it just doesn't work here.

My start-and-finish job was to straighten the edges of these beds - robbing Peter to pay Paul - the moved turfs have to be kept watered until they take.

You can see the difference where we've removed surface moss!

The job I did for the sheer pleasure of it was to sow more seed - cornflowers to transplant into the meadow, nasturtiums for the tubs in the village, gypsophila Covent Garden to go with the sweet peas already germinated, nemophila Menzii which have overwintered in the greenhouse for some early flowers - a most beautiful blue - and more....I love this job (and it's easy on the shoulders which were aching by then).

My rescue job today was to plant these roses which I bought on 14 February. They are Burgundy Ice. £20.95 each from Sarah Raven or 3 for £11.95 from Parkers!

I am growing them in the cutting patch

So, a feeling of making progress, the satisfaction of finishing something, the pleasure of one of my favourite tasks and a clear conscience about those neglected roses.

Yes I do think it applies to more than gardening, housekeeping f.i. and how I like your routine. Especially so because I tend to over-invest my energy in 'progress' and 'satisfaction' while forgetting - resulting in having no energy left - for pleasure. And the last category is one I have to think about just a little bit more.

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Freda

23/3/2016 08:40:58 am

Today I did just 15 mins on each - that way they all get seen to, including the pleasurable one.

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cath

23/3/2016 11:34:56 am

Did you spread those 4x 15 minutes over the day or plan them one after another?

Freda

23/3/2016 12:16:56 pm

I did them one after the other (which is why my shoulders ache!) I wonder why it says Antwoord instead of reply!!

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Freda

23/3/2016 12:18:19 pm

Oops we're back to English I see....

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Cristiana

23/3/2016 01:14:00 pm

Looks like you and your daughter make a good working and fun team, Freda. I think I would benefit from this kind of routine at work, where everything seems out of control for the past weeks...

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Freda

23/3/2016 01:58:49 pm

One day after Barry died Jennie said 'I'll be your gardener Mum'. I can't tell you how much that meant to me - I well up with tears just thinking how kind and loving that was.

I love gardening as even a small job can give you a feeling of satisfaction. I have to a certain extent been following what you suggest above. It's good not to spend too long on tasks as they tend to then become a chore! Sarah x

I love that format Freda, what a good idea. I think I'm going to try and apply it to house and garden - both could do with a lot of attention! I hope the weather will be kind to your sweet peas this year, they're such a pleasurable part of summer.

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Freda

24/3/2016 11:50:46 am

I hope it is helpful Lotta and that we get good weather this summer and lots of sweet peas.

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julia

24/3/2016 02:24:57 am

Freda....i can only imagine how hard it must be for you, to be missing your favorite gardening partner, and then making the gardening plans without him. how blessed you are to have your daughter nearby, and willing. i am thinking about the roles of women friends, and daughters in our lives....:-)
i plan to print out your 4 point system. i need that...i tend to be the bulldozer type....tackle something and keep at it till i am done!! (and exhausted!)

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Freda

24/3/2016 11:52:50 am

It is hard Julia. I have been called 'grasshopper brain' because I usually have lots ot things going on at once....

It's an excellent plan. I do something sort of similar, in that I do a bit of garden maintenance (boring) and a bit of something new (progress) each day if I can. It works best if the boring bit gets done first!

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Freda

24/3/2016 02:21:27 pm

The something new bit is the reward I guess? It's good to have plans isn't it.